Confidence in the future as forest owners and hunters meet for roundtable

- We all need to link arms - that was the message when the Västra Götaland Forestry Program convened a roundtable discussion on wildlife issues. Out in Sollebrunn on a sunny fall day, representatives from SLU, Södra, Hushållningssällskapet Väst, Svenska Jägareförbundet, Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland, Jordägareförbundet, Skogsstyrelsen, LRF and Gröna Klustret met.

The day began with a gathering at forest owners Marie and Ulf Hallén's land in Sollebrunn. Here Södra has wildlife demo enclosures and the group got to think about how it looked in the different enclosures and why. This is where the sharing of experiences began and the conversation then moved on to lunch and Södra's premises. Here we gathered to talk about some previously requested issues, such as what is required for collaboration to work.

Focus on sharing experiences and joint responsibility

- "We agree on the overall objectives: we want a healthy moose population and a situation where there is sufficient fodder in the forest. But everyone must feel that they are involved and can influence," says Regina Fernemar, who works as a wildlife officer at the Västra Götaland County Administrative Board.

The fact that the goals differ at the individual level - for both forest owners and hunters - adds to the complexity of the wildlife issue. says forest manager Anders Josefsson from the Landowners' Association.

Hunting conservation consultant Jerker Andersson from the Swedish Hunters' Association agrees on the issue of the landowner's responsibility.

- We know what the situation is based on what the authorities have decided, but are the landowners in Västra Götaland so incredibly dissatisfied with their situation? It is possible to do things yourself, although it absolutely requires dedication and cooperation, says Jerker.

Challenges and opportunities in wildlife management

Fredrik Widemo, associate professor and senior lecturer at SLU, showed several images that aroused the group's interest, which highlighted, among other things, research on the attitude of landowners to wildlife. He also showed a model that highlighted how efforts are required from several sides to deal with issues relating to wildlife and forests.

- You can see it as a bathtub where there are two taps and a shared responsibility. We feed, that's the primary land use and then we remove animals. Both of these factors will affect the situation and both ways help to manage the issue. If you want to regulate this effectively, you need to turn on both taps to achieve the best possible efficiency. But there are different actors and therefore many need to get involved," explains Fredrik.

Future objectives and further dialogues

The two hours the stakeholders had at the roundtable can be seen as a really good start, because there was a lot to talk about. We are already planning to meet again," says Jenny Schmitz Dahlöf, process manager for the Västra Götaland Forest Program.

- It became clear that one challenge lies in the fact that conditions in the county differ greatly and that the situation is strained in some places. At the same time, I see opportunities in the fact that several of the participants say that they want to contribute to dialog and knowledge dissemination to landowners and between stakeholders. There is knowledge about how wildlife management looks in areas where the results are good and many told about good examples they know of. It will probably be on this basis that the group will work further, Jenny concludes.

Wildlife issues related to forests are one of the Forest Program's 13 target areas. The work will contribute to varied forests with high growth and biodiversity.

Are you interested in joining the conversation? Contact project manager Jenny Schmitz Dahlöf via jenny.schmitz.dahlof@innovatum.se or 073 - 587 68 28.